Daniel b



D: B. WESSON. RBVOLVING FIRE ARM.

(No M odel.)

Unirse rares Parana i REVOLVlNG HRB-ARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part oiLeiitersglEateut No. 429,397', da'sed June R. 1890.

Application filed March 17, 1890.

Serial No. 344,123. (No model.)

To 'alh whom may concern,.- p

Beit known that; l, DANIEL B. XVESSONQIL citizen of the United States, residingat Springticld, in the county of .Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invent-ed new and useful Improvements in Revolving Fire-Arms, of which the following is a specification. l This invention relates to revolving tirearms, and pertains to improved safety devices therefor, by means of which the arm is rendered incapable of being discharged unless -the cylinder be fnlly and firmly locked in hereinafter described. Fig. 3 is a pmspectire view ot that portion of Jthe frame of the arm on which is located the eateh-post, and ot' a hammer-stop and a spring which cooperates therewith. Fig. 4 is a side elevation ot' said part of the frame on which is the catch-post and of the rear end of the barrel-strap and ol' the cylinder.

In the drawings, A is the [rame ot' the arm,

having the nsnal'eai-ch-post il', and recoitplatc t thereon. y

B is the barrel, pir'otcd to the i'ranie A alla, and having the lnirrcl-strap 5 thereon7 which extends over the cylinder (i, and is perforated to be. engaged with the said catch-post.. The cylinder o occupies the nsnal posiiion at the rcarof thc barrel and when in firing' position between the lat-ter and said recoil-plata A catch S is pivoted to the rear end of the barrel-strap 5, its main portion being located within said catch-post perforation in said strapand having its shank e extending rear" wardly under the transverse pari". c of the rear end ot the barrel-strap. A spring J (see Figs. l and 2) is interposed between said catch 8 andthe barrel-strap, which acts to throw said catch against the rear side ot' the catch-post 3 and cause it to engage with the upper edge of the recess o in said posi. A

thumb-block 10 is secured to the npper side of said shank e ot the catch by a screw 'iler other suitable means, the upper portion l' ot' said block l0 extending partially over said transverse part: c ot" the rear end ol the harrel-strap, as shown in Fig. 1. '.he said catch' 8, which is a trillc narrower than the width of said socket o in the catch-post., has an inclined face a, extending t'rom its lower side up toits catch-shoulders, which face rides on rthe upper border ofsaid recess o, whie the end or" the barrel-strap is 'heingearricd over the catch posh as shown in Fig. l, to its tinaliy locked position, (shown in Fig'. 1,);ixnlowingigo the temporary contact or said iare n with said upper hoi-dor oi' the rcccssothe catch is tii. as shown in Fig. l, whereby the'exiremity'ot its shank e is thrown considerably'downward ward Lhcfraineoi thearni. Thecatch-shank. is maintained insaid inclined position trom the time ot the engagement ot' said tace of the catch S with said herder on thc caichi'celly and lirinly secure the lnirreietrap io the iframe ot` the arin hach ol` the vyiinflrr when the end ol'said strap has been `l ron;hi. lo its proper position against said l'ranw, so that the catch ri may become positively en@ ,Ljaged with the eaicinposr, :is above sel. lorth; lint owing` to, carelessness on the part ot the operator, or possibly to the pressure ot' the heads ot the cartridges more or less against the recoil-plate when an attempt:- has he made i'o lor-ing the lnnreletrap to a loe. position said catch has failed to engage 'with the eatcinposi., from the fact; that. the the barrehstrap has not. heen lirongit. to

post.- during` the movement. o1' said strap over 'lire-arms, and has nnit'orxnly serred lo per position against the frame surrounding said post, and thereby the parts have not become locked, as they should be before ring, and

consequently if the arm be fired under said conditions the barrel, from the effect of the recoil of the exploded cartridge, is caused to swing out of position on the frame and occasion inconvenience and result in some accident, more or less serious, and the purpose of this invention is to provide safety appliances, as below described, co-operating with said catch devices and operating in con j unction therewith and with the hammer of the arm, which render it impossible that the arm shall be tiredA until the said catch devices come to Aa full and positive engagement with the catch-post of the arm.

The above-referred-to safety appliances consist of a lever 13, pivoted in a recess in the frame of the arm at the base of the catchpost 3,the said lever 13 having'a part thereof or aboss lat thereon for engagement with the hammer 15, the latterhaving at its upperend a notch or abutment,substantially as shown, with which the vfree end of said lever may engage when depressed toward said hammer, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. The normal position of said lever 13 is that shown in Fig. 1, its outer face being in a plane correspondingr to that of the under side of the lshank c of the catch 8 when the latter is in engagement with the catch-post 3. A spring 1t lis interposed between said lever and the frame of the arm to held the lever 13 in said normal position, and when occupying this position the boss on said lever inter-poses no obstacle tothefrceswingof thehammer foriiring. The said normalposition of lever 13 is also maintained by the spring l0, While the barrel-strap is unlocked from the catch-post and swung entirely away from it; but when said strap is to be locked to th c catch-post in closing the arm,7 as it is termed, as is done after loading the cylinder with cartridges, and is brought to about the position shown in Fig. 4, the erlgagement of the face of the catch 8 with the rear side of the eatchfpost, as above described, Vcauses said catch to be tilted and the extremity of its shank e to become engaged with the free end of said lever 13, thereby swinging the stu d-beari ng cud of said lever downward toward the hammer and earrying its stud l-l into said slot in the hammer, and there holding it until the barrel-strap shall be brought closely against the frame of the arm at the base of the catch-post, (which is its locked position,) when catch 8 becomes engaged with said post, and said engagement causes the extremity of its shank to swing upward and allow the free end of lever 13 to follow its movement, thereby withdrawing the stud 1i from said notch in the hammer, so that the latter may be operated to lire the arm. The arm is-opened by pressing on said thumb-block and tilting the catch 8 to disengage it from the catch-post and then swinging the barrel, as usual.

The lever 17, a Well-known structural feature of pistols known as the Smith da Wesson, pivoted in the handle of the arm, has its inner end swung from behind the hammer in the act of grasping the arm to lire it.

'What I claim as my invention isl. A revolvingl re-arm having a lever pivoted in the frame ot' the arm to engage with the hammer thereof,-coml, ined with the catchpost on said frame, the barrel-strap, and a catch on said strap, which is tilted through engagement with said post, thereby causing one end thereof to engage with and depress one end of said lever, substantially as set forth.

2. ln a revolving lire-arm, a catch-post on the frame thereof, the barrel-strap, a catch having a rearwardly-cxtending shan it pivoted on Said strap for 'engagement with said post, andthe hammer, combined with a lever pivoted in said'frame between said catch and' hammer and deprcssible bythe movement of the hammer, combined with the catch-post,v

the barrei-strap, a catch piyoted in said strap to engage with said post, having ashank eX- tending over said lever, and a spring between said strap and catch to move the latter against said post, substantially as set forth.

DANIEL B. WESSON. 1Witnesses:

li. A. CHAPIN, G. M. Ciminna-mmm. 

